The rapid growth in the internet, internet content, and networked communication in general has fueled demand for faster communication to homes and businesses. However, installing new Ethernet or fiber optic cable to every home and business served by a communication company appears to be prohibitively expensive. This is the so-called “last mile” problem.
To facilitate the use of digital communication, a series of standards were developed and promulgated. These standards are known by the acronym DVB. DVB stands for Digital Video Broadcasting. However, DVB standards can be used for communicating all kinds of data. Some of the specifications aim at the installation of bi-directional communication channels, for example, using cable or satellite installations. One of the strengths of DVB technology lies in the fact that it enables the point-to-multipoint transmission of very large amounts of data at high data rates while protecting them against transmission errors. The data may be digitized audio and video, but in many applications the data will be files such as the content of web pages. The DVB standards may include specifications for various aspects of communication including processes for registering on a bi-directional network, carrier modulation, frequency bands of operation, and message formats.